Mars Orbiter spots rover ascending Mount Sharp

For almost five years, the Martian rover Curiosity has been exploring the varied terrain of Mount Sharp. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

June 21 (UPI) -- In an image captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Martian rover Curiosity can been seen as a bright blue speck ascending the rocky terrain of Mount Sharp.

The image was taken by the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on June 5 and shared online this week.

Curiosity spent the end of last month and early June exploring active sand dunes among the mountain's lower elevations. In the newly released image, the rover can been seen en route to Vera Rubin Ridge.

Once at Vera Rubin Ridge, the rover will investigate rock outcrops where the signature of hematite, a type of iron oxide, has been identified by the infrared spectrometers during previous Martian probe missions.

On August 5, Curiosity will celebrate the five-year anniversary of its landing on Mount Sharp.